Art of short writing.



A. B. EDWARDS.

ART OF SHORT WRITING.

APPLICATION FILED Nov. 15, 1915.

Patented fiept. 5, 1916.

Continuation of application Serial No. 32,554, filed June 7, 1915.

barren snares Parana orripn ALRAH B. EDWARDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'lO SHORTWRITER COMTANY,

0F WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

- ART SHORT WRITING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 5, 1916.

This application filed November 15, 1915.

Serial No. 61,523.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALRAH B. EDWARDS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Short \Vriting, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of short writing and refers more particularly to means for recording the phonetic equivalents of spoken words in ordinary alphabetic letters or monograms thereof, so that the letters recorded are readable always in their usual sound significance. y

This application is a continuation of an earlier application, Serial No. 32,554, filed June 7, 1915.

Heretofore numerous systems have been devised in which stenographic or code characters have been employed which, when printed, indicate to the trained reader the sound significance of the speech recorded. Other systems have employed arbitrary or code combinations of alphabetic letters which, when printed side by side, similarly indicate to persons familiar with the code employed the meaning intended. to be con veyed. Systems belonging to either of these groups, however, require extended study by the operator before a legible record can be made with the degree of speed required in modern commercial work in competition with ordinary stenographic writing, and, moreover, the resulting record is not readable by persons other than those having an equally complete knowledge of. the system employed.

It is the object of my invention to provide means whereby any person without further preparation than the mastery of the arrangement of the keys on the keyboard may I become a thoroughly proficient operator under my system of short writing and capable of producing a record which is legible to any person who is able to read the printed language without any training the art of short writing.

whatever in A further object of my invention is the provision of means for simultaneously printreadily to simultaneous printing side by sideand in single strokes to indicate phonetically the prefixes, suflixes and stems of words when the letters are read according to their usual significance, the particular letters of" a monograninbelng selected for reading as suggested by the context of the record.

Otherobjects and "advantages of my invention will be apparent as it is better un derstood by reference to the following specification when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which the figure illustrates diagrammatically the arrangeifient of the keyboard and connected type bars as well as the alphabetic letters and monograms designated on the former and printed by the latter. a

A keyboard is illustrated which comprises a plurality of keys numbered 1 to, 24, in,- clusi've, and divided into three groups A, B and C, group A comprising keys 1 to 10, inclusive, group B comprising keys 11 to 14, inclusive, and group comprising keys 15 to 24, inclusive. The keys 1 to 24:, inclusive, are connected by means of suitable intermediate connecting members to the type bars indicated by the reference numerals 1 to 24, inclusive. The mechanical construc tionof the type bars and connecting. members may be identical with well-known and standard practice in key-actuated printing machines and forms no invention.

Each of the type bars 1 to 24, inclusive,

part of my present is provided with a type face to print analfao'syllables most commonlywmployed in the spoken language, can be printed in single strokes, it being understood that in the operation of the machine a plurality of keys are simultaneously depressed by the several fingers of the two hands and that letters and monograms corresponding to the keys depressed are pr1nted 1n ahnement on a su1table impression-receiving material.

The arrangement which I have found to be most-advantageous is as follows: Keys 1 to 10, inclusive, constituting the group A, bear the letters and monograms thereof most frequently occurring as initial consonants and in the prefixes and stems of words, and the corresponding type bars 1 to 10 bear corresponding type faces adapted to print in alinenient and from left to right in the order named the letters and monograms G-J, SZ, CK, MN, TD, PB, F-V, HW, L and R. Keys 11 to 14, in elusive, constituting the group B, bear from left to right in the order named the vowel letters 0, A, I and E, and the corresponding type bars 11 to 14 bear type faces adapted to print these letters. The letters I and E are so formed that when printed side by side they form the vowel U, as indicated at the top of the figure. Keys 15 to 24, in elusive, constituting the group C, bear consonant letters and monograms thereof most frequently occurring as final consonants and in the suffixes and stems of words, and corresponding type bars 15 to 24 bear corresponding type faces adapted to print from left to right in the order named the letters and monograms R, FV, N-M, PB, L, D, GK, SZ, H-N, and RY. It will be understood from the foregoing that the alphabetic letters which are combined in the form of monograms are either true alphabetic cognates or are so related that in phonetic practice they have been commonly regarded as cognates. The possibility of confusion owing to the printing of both letters is negligible since it has been demonstrated in practice that the context of the subject-matter printed will at once suggest to the eye the particular character to be read. It will be also understood that thuse of my invention obviates the difficulties Which have heretofore confronted the student of short writing since the letters printed indicate the sounds recorded without the artificial aid of arbitrary symbols and code con'lbinations of letters.

I claim:

1. The combination in a short writing machine of a keyboard eon'iprising a plurality of keys divided into groups, and a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of one of said groups and bearing mono grams and alphabetic letters representing the consonants GJ, SZ, CK, i\'l\l, T-D, P-B, F-V, HVV, L and R.

2. The combination in a short writing machine of a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys divided into groups, and a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of one of said groups and bearing monograms and alphabetic letters representing the consonants R, FV, NM, P-B, TD', G-K, SZ, HN and R-Y.

3. The combination in a short Writing machine of a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys divided into groups, a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of one of said groups and bearing monograms and alphabetic letters reprcsentin the consonants GJ, SZ, CK, N-"\ T-D, P-B, F-V, HlV, L and R, and a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of another group and bearing monograms and alphabetic letters representing the consonants R F-V, N-M, P-B, L, TD, G-K, s. z, iHN and RY, and a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of a third group and bearing alphabetic letters representing the vowels A, O, I and E.

4. The combination in a short Writing machine of a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys divided into groups and a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of one of said groups and hearing from left to right in the order named monograms and alphabetic letters representing the consonants GJ, SZ, CK, NM, TD, P-B, F-V.. H-W, L and R.

The combination in a short vyriting machine of a keyboard comprising a plurality of keys divided into groups and a plurality of type bars operatively connected to the keys of one of said groups and bearing from left to right in the order named monotype bars operatively connected to the keys keys of a third group and bearing from left of another group and hearing from left to to right in the order named alphabetic letters right in the order named monograms and representing the vowels O, A,I and E. alphabetic letters representing the .conso- I ALRAH B. EDWARDS' nents R, FV, NM, PB, L, TD, Witnesses:

GK, SZ, HN and RY, and a plural- WM. 0. BELT,

ity of type bars operatively connected to the M. A. Kmnm.

Copiers at this patent may be obtained for five cente eeeh, by addressing the flommlmmloner of limtentm, Weahinmon, D. it." 

